SPECIAL DAYS: Fourth Sunday In Advent

December 21, 2003, Lesson: Matthew 12.9-14

SERMON TITLE: Of Infinite Value

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INTRODUCTION:

In Germany, a woman boarded a train, found her seat and sat back to enjoy the ride. Along the river, the scenery was beautiful. It was not long before the conductor came into the car requesting tickets. The woman handed the conductor her ticket. He looked at it and began to ask her questions in German. She nodded her head but did not say anything. The conductor persisted in attempting to talk with her. She nodded her head but did not say a word. Finally the conductor went on. There was a person sitting close by who heard the whole conversation. "Do you speak German?" "No." That is too bad. The conductor was trying to tell you that you are on the wrong train.

    1. It helps to know the language.

    2. You may avoid some difficulties if you do.

  1. Jesus is in a conversation with those who are fluent in the language and still they don't understand.

    1. They have a different view.

    2. They have come to different conclusions.

Dr. Ernest S. Duross tells a story about two brothers, one David and the other Michael, who are absolute and complete opposites. (1)

Michael was a successful businessman in New York while David took seasonal jobs at dude ranches, parks and resorts.

Concerned for David's welfare, the businessman from New York, Michael, tried to entice David with the so-called good life. He would send David photos labeled, "my new sound system," or "my new car."

The campaign ended, though, when Michael received a poster from David showing the breathtaking view of Wyoming's Grand Teton National Park and on the back, David had written, "my back yard."

  1. Two brothers, two different lifestyles, two ways of looking at life and the world.

    1. It is a question of values and value.

    2. This question is paramount in our lesson for today.

    3. There is a question or two which might be asked.

      1. "What is it that is valuable?"

      2. "What are you worth?"

How Much is my Body Worth? (2)

A great number of people have spent a great deal of human and financial resources calculating the composition of, prior to the decomposition of, and the worth, or worthlessness of, the human body.

When we total the monetary value of the elements in our bodies and the value of the average person's skin, we arrive at a net worth of $4.50!

This value is, however, subject to change, due to stock market fluctuations. Since the studies leading to this conclusion were conducted by the U.S. and by Japan respectively, it might be wise to consult the New York Stock Exchange and the Nikkei Index before deciding when to sell!

The U.S. Bureau of Chemistry and Soils invested many a hard-earned tax dollar in calculating the chemical and mineral composition of the human body, which breaks down as follows:
65% Oxygen
18% Carbon
10% Hydrogen
3% Nitrogen
1.5% Calcium
1% Phosphorous
0.35% Potassium
0.25% Sulfur
0.15% Sodium
0.15% Chlorine
0.05% Magnesium
0.0004% Iron
0.00004% Iodine

Additionally, it was discovered that our bodies contain trace quantities of fluorine, silicon, manganese, zinc, copper, aluminum, and arsenic. Together, all of the above amounts to less than one dollar!

Our most valuable asset is our skin, which the Japanese invested their time and money in measuring. The method the Imperial State Institute for Nutrition at Tokyo developed for measuring the amount of a person's skin is to take a naked person, and to apply a strong, thin paper to every surface of his body. After the paper dries, they carefully remove it, cut it into small pieces, and painstakingly total the person's measurements. Cut and dried, the average person is the proud owner of fourteen to eighteen square feet of skin, with the variables in this figure being height, weight, and breast size. Basing the skin's value on the selling price of cowhide, which is approximately $.25 per square foot, the value of an average person's skin is about $3.50.

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MAIN BODY:

  1. Like the two brothers we can examine the question from differing views.

    1. Some people use the wrong standard of value.

      1. When someone asks, "What's he worth?" notice what they mean.

        1. They don't mean, "How valuable is he to the church/community."

        2. They don't mean, "How moral a life is he living?"

        3. They don't mean, "How good a parent is he?"

        4. They mean merely, "How much money does he have?"

      2. Larry Burkett, founder of Christian Financial Concepts has noted that under these conditions:

"We spend money we don't have to buy things we don't need to keep up with people we don't like - or even associate with."

    1. Some people are too expensive.

Harleigh Rosenburg, Thoughts along the Way asks the question, "How Expensive Are We to Others?"

He writes about thinking of an acquaintance of years gone by, who might have been a wonderful person, yet actually had few friends.

He always demanded attention for himself; he was jealous and envious; he could not bear for others to be praised unless he himself was commended; he was always being hurt by something said or unsaid; and he carried a perennial grudge against the world.

He yearned to be liked and loved, but he was too expensive for Harleigh and his friends.

    1. Some people think of themselves as being worth little or nothing.

Parable of the Water Pots (3)

A Water Bearer in India carried two large pots suspended from the ends of a pole that he carried it across his shoulders. One of the pots was perfect and delivered a full load of water at the end of the long walk from the stream to the master's house. But the other pot was cracked and always arrived only half full.

The perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments, but the cracked pot felt sad that it could achieve only half of what it had been made to do. One day, after two years of bitter failure, it spoke to the water bearer. "I'm ashamed of myself" it said, "and I want to apologize."

"Why?" asked the water bearer.

"Because for two years I've delivered only half my load. This crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to the master's house. Because of my flaws, you don't get full value from your efforts."

But the water bearer replied, "As we return to the master's house, I want you to notice the beautiful flowers along the path."

Sure enough, as they went up the hill, the cracked pot noticed the sun warming many beautiful wild flowers.

"Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of the path.?" the water bearer asked. "That's because I've always known about your flaw and I took advantage of it. I planted flower seeds on your side of the path. You watered them every day as we walked back from the stream. For the past two years I've used those flowers to decorate the master's table. If you weren't just the way you are, he would not have had this beauty to grace his house."

      1. Don't be afraid of your flaws.

      2. In your weakness you will find your strength.

  1. What are you worth?

    1. Does the response to his situation provided by Jesus provide a clear and unambiguous answer.

    2. Described in Matthew 12:9-14 is Jesus attendance at the synagogue on a sabbath day.

      1. Present is a man with a withered hand.

      2. The same people who challenged him on a previous sabbath are watching and waiting ready to pounce with their accusations.

      3. Will he heal or not.

      4. He is asked a question about healing on the sabbath

"Is it lawful to cure on the sabbath?" so that they might accuse him.

      1. Jesus responds with a story about a sheep.

11He said to them, "Suppose one of you has only one sheep and it falls into a pit on the sabbath; will you not lay hold of it and lift it out?

      1. Then Jesus puts all of life into clear and unambiguous perspective.

12How much more valuable is a human being than a sheep!

        1. His conclusion is that is lawful to do good on the sabbath.

        2. 13Then he said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." He stretched it out, and it was restored, as sound as the other.

      1. Those dear deluded...14Pharisees went out and conspired against him, how to destroy him.

    1. Jesus sure does find ways to help us understand how valuable we really, how much we are worth.

Alan Keyes is a black political conservative who has a strong Christian identity. (4)

"Disciples who pay full price to follow Jesus have a worth that is not tied to wealth, race, age or power."

He makes the point that your "relationship with God doesn't depend on external circumstances-not on how rich or educated you are, not on how much power you have in the world. None of that stuff can affect what's most important: your ultimate salvation."

He says: "If the world says to you, "You're worth what you fetch in the marketplace," the Christian has an internal sense that says, "Excuse me, but my worth was determined by God and revalidated by Jesus Christ on the cross before you got here. So forget you."

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CONCLUSION

  1. The worth of our lives comes not in what we do, or whom we know, but by who we are. (5)

A well-known speaker started off his seminar by holding up a $20 bill. In the room of 200, he asked, Who would like this $20 bill? Hands started going up.

He said, I am going to give this to one of you, but first, let me do this. He proceeded to crumple the bill up. He then asked, who still wants it? Still the hands were up in the air. Well, he replied, what if I do this? He dropped it on the ground, and started to grind it into the floor with his shoe. He picked it up, now crumpled and dirty. Now, who still wants it? Still hands went into the air.

My friends, you all have learned a very valuable lesson. No matter what I did to the money, you still wanted it, because it did not decrease in value. It was still worth 20 dollars. Many times in our lives, we are dropped, crumpled and ground into the dirt by the decisions we make and the circumstances that come our way. We feel that we are worthless, but no matter what has happened or what will happen, you will never lose your value, dirty or clean, crumpled or finely creased, you are still priceless to those who love you. The worth of our lives comes not in what we do, or whom we know, but by who we are.

    1. Who are we?

    2. What does Christmas tell us?

      1. We are children of God, a heavenly father and joint heirs with Jesus.

      2. Does this bring you JOY?

      3. It should.

    3. Joy is that quiet conviction that creates a warm and contented inner glow that comes from acquiring hope, developing peace and, living in love.

    4. It that enough worth?

1. Dr. Ernest S. Duross, 19 March 1995, Naples, Fla.

2. Retrieved from Ask Jeeves, (www.ryanjoseph.com/~dgale/ques...)

3. Author Unknown-an Internet story worth repeating because of the point it makes.

4. The Door, July/August 1995.

5. -Source Unknown, submitted by Terri Borgeson.

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